SUZY STUMP: 5 THINGS TO DO TODAY >>>

8 A.M.: Mag chloride still stuck to your car? Dog slobber on the windows and fur on the seats? Maybe a spilled Big Gulp left sticky spots on the console. To celebrate its 51st anniversary, Seattle-based Brown Bear Car Wash will offer free car washes at its Northwest tunnel-wash locations, which includes 13204 Pacific Ave., 3002 S. 38th St. and 5950 Sixth Ave. in Tacoma; and 10913 Bridgeport Way S.W. in Lakewood, until 8 p.m. today.

10 A.M.: The South was not the only place where Americans were denied equal rights. Right here in Tacoma, as little as 35 years ago, Americans couldn’t get jobs or housing because of their color. Learn how local leaders fought Washington’s own civil rights battle in Tacoma’s Civil Rights Struggle: African Americans Leading the Way at the Washington State History Museum.

5 P.M.: It’s the third Thursday of the month, which means only one thing for the Tacoma crowd: Time to art walk around downtown Tacoma. Among the many worthy shows, be sure to view The Helm’s show called Fresh Salad, Lark Gallery’s City Of Destiny: Utopian Visions Of Tacoma, Mindy Barker’s multilayered show at the Fulcrum Gallery, and Dale Witherow’s paintings at Gallery Madera. Get walking here.

8 P.M.: Psychopathia Sexualis by John Patrick Shanley will open on the Harlequin Productions’ stage tonight and not look back until Sept. 13. Comedy is sure to ensue as the audience takes home a lesson on love, marriage, friendship, gossip, psychiatry, and how to be truly happy in life. Happy with or without your argyle socks, I hope. Details here.

9 P.M.: While almost anyone can pull a Zeppelin number or two from their musical bag of tricks (most likely mutilating it at the same time) No Quarter has real-deal chops. They can legitimately call themselves the “ultimate tribute to Led Zeppelin”â€" and they do. No Quarter has the moves and they’ve got the sound. If you can get past their silly-ass wigs they’re the cream of the cover crop. Check them tonight at Jazzbones.

LINK: Viva South Sound arts and entertainment calendar
LINK: Live music and DJs

JAKE DE PAUL: THE MORNING BREW >>>

1. Fruit Loops and beer tasting (Weekly Volcano)

2. Masa is for everyone (Weekly Volcano)

3. A review of the Adriatic Grill (Weekly Volcano)

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

MATT DRISCOLL: THE WEEKLY VOLCANO IS AT THE DNC >>>

In case you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, we’re running a big cover story today on the Democratic National Convention that’s set to go down in Denver next week. More accurately, we’re running a big cover story on Tacomans who will be at the DNC as delegates, taking in all the madness and representing the City of Destiny with pride.

Our coverage of the DNC in Denver doesn’t stop with one measly cover story, however. This is history, after all, and if there’s one thing a newspaper should cover it’s fucking history when it happens.

For the cover story in today’s paper I spoke with Obama delegate Marilyn Strickland. You may know her from the Tacoma City Council. I also spoke with Clinton delegate Marvin Wells. You may know him if you work in the Port of Tacoma. Both have happily agreed to feed the Weekly Volcano reports from Denver, and we’ll be bringing those reports straight to you as we get them. It will be real-time, real-life DNC drama right here in the South Sound blogosphere. Some might say it doesn’t get much better.

Those folks, dear friends, would be dead wrong.

That’s because, not only do we have two delegates inside Denver’s Pepsi Center giving us the lowdown on all the DNC action, but we’ve got a roving, long haired reporter covering the protests outside. Throughout the DNC, Owen Taylor â€" a freelance writer from Olympia â€" will be posting updates from the many protests planned in Denver over the next week. Unless he gets thrown in the Freedom Cage, you should be hearing from him often.

The Democratic National Convention in Denver. It’s history before our eyes. We might as well watch. And we might as well know what Tacoma’s part in it is.

LINK: Have any DNC predictions?

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

brontephobia or brontophobia /bront-e-feu'-bia/ noun

Dread of thunder and lightening

USAGE EXAMPLE: Catherine Stevens always chuckled softly through her nighttime goat's-head mask whenever a big storm hit Alaska and Sen. Ted Stevens would rush into her dank dungeon all cute and breathless and quivery, Mr. This New House himself, suffering from brontephobia not to mention fear of bunnies and, for some reason, creamed corn, and would snuggle into bed with her, on her big bed of nails and broken glass.

THE MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: Could Tacoma go too tall?

OLYMPIA: You can rock out for an hour later.

SEATTLE: Clay Bennett even takes the green pencils.

UNITED STATES: Medicare not so good.

ENVIRONMENT: Court rejects E.P.A. limits on emission rules. 

JUST BIZARRE: Politician seals deal with horse kiss.

MORE STRANGE NEWS: I'm not dead yet.

THINGS TO DO TODAY

FILM LISTINGS: Look here
MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening tonight
SHOOT THE SHIT: Let's talk DNC

DANIEL BLUE: MEET JOEL MYERS >>>

Joel Myers was trained in classical dance and modern dance entirely on scholarship in a studio in Auburn.  Kinetically gifted from an early age, Joel was first attracted to martial arts as a means of disciplining his body to function at higher levels of majesty and grace. Now somewhat of a pacifist, his training hardened abdomen was brought into its manhood by the lifting of ballerinas as apposed to the absorption of karate kicks. 

Currently Joel is living in Hilltop Tacoma and dancing in Seattle for Spectrum Dance Theater, but having recently hosted and authored his third feature length show, his career as a choreographer is beginning to show definite promise. Joel has found out how to take what he loves and shape it in a way that not only promotes his own talent, but also cultivates the talents of young dancers who, as he introduced them after the show, are taking jobs in the dance industry all over America. 
Outside of dancing for professional companies and creating his own choreography, Joel teaches all types of dance; one on one, and classes of all ages, skills, and sizes.  You can find him biking his way up and down the hills of our city to and from the bus stop that allows him passage to the north metropolis of Seattle.

LINK: More about Joel in today�s Weekly Volcano
LINK: The Tacoma Files archive

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: THEATER THURSDAY >>>

Urinetown
This is the last weekend to see the best musical with the worst name at Paradise Theater in Gig Harbor. The theater's production of Urinetown: The Musical takes a funny look at a world gone wrong when a single company owns all the toilets in the city following a 20-year drought that forces a ban on all public toilets. Thus comes an uprising as the residents of the city yearn to pee free.
[Paradise Theater, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday, $10 to $20, 9911 Burnham Dr. N.W., Gig Harbor, 253.851.PLAY]

Psychopathia Sexualis
Harlequin Production gets funny with Psychopathia Sexualis, a delightfully clever and brilliantly inspired comedy about love, marriage, psychiatry and deciphering what is important in life.
[State Theater, through Sept. 13, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $12-$33, 202 E. Fourth Ave, Olympia, 360.786.0151]

LINK: Review of My Fair Lady at Encore! Theater
LINK: Viva South Sound arts and entertainment calendar

STEPH DEROSA: BAR EXAM >>>

Ginger Knoxx, the hardcore dive bar girl that she is, had told me that Lucky Silver wasn’t as sleazy as one would think.  I had never been in and was curious as to what this South Tacoma Way establishment had to offer.  From the outside, Lucky Silver screams flagrant trash, bar fights, and wicked whorish stare-downs.  You know, like we’ve run into before, where the instant need to flee from ass-kicking had overcome us plenty of times.

Kathy the bartender was pleasant and welcoming as she poured me a damn strong Bloody Mary to stroke my taste buds.  I flopped myself down onto a padded tableside bench only to realize that there was in fact no padding.  It will be interesting to see the proportion of and size of bruise the unpadded wood is going to leave on my ass.  Thank you for that, Lucky Silver.

Check out my dive bar grade for Lucky Silver here.

MICHAEL SWAN: INTERVIEW WITH KAREN PICKETT >>>

The Town of Ruston is in turmoil. They don’t have a mayor. Mayor Bob Everding resigned Monday. They don’t want more bureaucracy. With the next 2008 primary election update to hit the Pierce County Auditors’ Web site at 5 p.m. tonight, the vote to transfer the Town of Ruston’s executive power to an administrator stands at 92 against the change, 69 for it.

In order to clear up some confusion Ruston resident Karen Pickett, who wrote the “no” statement in the Voter’s Guide, answered a few of the Weekly Volcano’s questions.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: If the ballot measure to change the town’s form of government and hire a full-time administrator ends up failing, how do you expect the Town Council â€" who obviously support the change â€" to react?

KAREN PICKETT: I'm not sure. There has been some recent distention among the council majority over the Point Ruston development â€" with the potential for bridges being burned that will impact other issues. The Ruston Connection group â€" Everding is one of the leaders of this advocacy group â€" have lost control of the council, at least on this issue. That was the reason given for Everding's resignation by Councilmember Albertson. This new majority may be willing to seat a mayor who is more moderate â€" at least I am hoping so. But we're running out of qualified people who are willing to serve with the current tension.

The council won't have any choice but to appoint someone. They may not be happy about it, but hopefully they open it up for applications this time and see who is willing to be considered.

VOLCANO: Did the resignation of Everding have any impact on the way people voted, in your opinion? Did his resignation have anything to do with Ruston's attempt to change forms of government?

PICKETT: My first reaction was to think the timing was related to the election. It would show the town is in disarray and we really needed a professional to rescue us. Councilmember Hunt mentioned at the last meeting that he resigned a week early, so his stepping down may have been planned all along.

It may have swayed a few votes â€" along with the Tribune's editorial endorsement â€" but in the end the margin is enough that it did not change the outcome.

On a side note, some are predicting the council will hire a town administrator now â€" and either Bob Everding or his wife, Sally, will be selected. I think it’s a long shot, but who knows around here?

VOLCANO: While Ruston residents watch and wait, Councilman Bradley Huson is serving mayor pro tem.  Stay tuned.